What do you get when you take a classically trained opera singer with a zest for creativity and innovation and nearly 20 years of experience in the industry, and cross her with some of the best alternative San Francisco rock bands ever to grace the Bay Area? You get Andrea Plamondon, that's what.
With the long-awaited release of "I Still Remember", a collection of recordings from her years with various San Franciscan bands since 1989, and the accompanying single "No More Silence", Plamondon announces her arrival to the wider world.
And one listen to the amazing vocal stylings on this 14 track hour-long offering makes it clear that we are dealing with a rare musical talent.
Plamondon's voice has an incredible three octave range, and she is certainly not afraid of showing it off on this record. But there is so much more here than just a great vocal performance. Plamondon chooses for her bandmates some of the best, most inventive musicians around, and the sound they create together is that of the avant garde breaking out of its underground lair.
This is rock music, with an operatic, theatrical twist. It is little wonder, therefore, that Plamondon has been compared to luminaries such as Kate Bush, Siouxie Sioux and Toyah Wilcox. But her constant thirst for the new makes her so much more.
This is a performer who has written stage musicals, who at 22 was told her voice was good enough for the Met, who has not only achieved excellence as an opera singer, but has studied Turkish and Middle Eastern music as well. All the time, while performing with some of the most accomplished rock bands across almost every notable venue in San Francisco.
Plamondon's life and music has also been touched by tragedy. Her brother, a gifted singer and performer in his own right, committed suicide at the age of 21, and the pain is evident in much of his sister's work.
All of this is why "I Still Remember" is such an incredible, varied and surprising record. From the lament of "Chant of the Flower" to the sprawling rock opera that is "The Great Doubt", there is something here for every discerning music fan.
But the new single, "No More Silence" showcases Plamondon's talents as well as any track here. It is an incendiary call to arms, as well as a cry for help. It is stirring and life-affirming. As all Plamondon's work is, and as all great music should be.
"I Still Remember" is out now on CD Baby, and "No More Silence" is available on Itunes and Napster.
http://www.tigressmusic.com
Posts
